Problems Without Solutions
by letsbefrankimawkward
Summary: Right and Wrong rewritten. This is the story of the ultimate betrayal...
1. Before

**Warning: If you are an overly die hard fan of JH and cannot bare the thought of JE, and cannot stand to think of Hyde as a bad person, then you might not want to read this. Contains violence, rape, drugs, and language. **

**Note: **Okay, this used to be "right and wrong". I hope I improved it.

**Problems Without Solutions**

**Chapter One: Before**

Hyde walked down a dark alley seeking out Leo. He was low on his stash and was just craving a good high. Lately, he hadn't been getting the buzz he used to and he was hoping Leo had something a little better.

He turned a corner and saw two people standing very close together making an exchange. Hyde had looked around everywhere and couldn't find Leo. _Well, he's gotta have something. _Hyde approached one man after the other had left. He looked nothing like your average drug dealer. Clean, shaven, suit and tie. He looked like a businessman. But then again, this was business.

The two exchanged quick glances.

"Is there something I can help you with?" the man said.

"Yeah, there is," Hyde responded coolly.

The man looked Hyde up and down. "I don't usually associate with people I don't know."

Hyde held a few folded twenty dollars bills between his index and middle finger and held his hand close to his body right in front of his belt buckle. "You know Jackson?"

The man was still skeptical, but never turned down good money. "Andrew happens to be a close friend of mine."

The two men got closer together as the man reached into the inside of his coat pocket. "Weed. The best shit you got."

"Well if you want the best shit, you're sure as hell ain't gonna get it from the weak shit."

"What do you suggest," Hyde was a little curious at this response.

The man pulled out a small plastic baggie filled with white powder. "Coke."

Hyde had only tried coke once in his life. It did more then enough for him, but he wasn't willing to go far. Now, as his life seemed to be falling apart anyway, he went with it. _Fuck it. This has gotta do the trick. _The exchange was made and the two men went on their way.

**xxx **

Donna had been sitting on her bed listening to Jackie yell at her for the past twenty minutes. For the first five she had tried to say something, but after that, she was just mesmerized at Jackie's seemingly lack of need for oxygen.

She knew she deserved to be yelled at though. After she had invited Sam to their girl's night. She didn't do it to hurt Jackie, but she didn't have a choice. Apparently, Sam had heard her talking to Hyde about it and she sort of invited herself. It's not like she could say no. _Yes I could have, I just didn't. _

Donna tuned out of her guilty thoughts and back to Jackie when she started crying. Donna held her best friend and apologized over and over again, tears forming in her eyes as well.

"I'm so sorry, Jackie. I should have just told her to leave. I guess I just thought you were over Hyde for some reason, so I thought it would be okay. I don't know why I thought that."

"I am over Steven, just not enough for as all to be hanging out with that skank."

"She is such a slut."

Jackie smiled at Donna. If anything could make her feel better, it would be her and her best friend talking about what a whore Sam is. "She's a whore."

"A dirty, disgusting whore."

"A bitch."

"A total bitch. The queen slut of bitchiness in the land of whores." Jackie laughed at that one. Donna was about to continue, but Randy knocked on the door.

"Hey," his mind wandered at seeing the two girls on the bed. "Where you two about to make out, 'cause if so, please, don't let my presence stop you."

The two girls rolled their eyes.

"No you pig," Donna said. "God, your like Fez."

"No, I don't hide in the closet like Fez."

"Actually, Fez hasn't been doing that lately."

Randy walked over to Donna's closet and opened the door. He reached inside and pulled out their foreign friend. He smiled sheepishly and gave a little wave. "Hello, ladies."

Donna shook her head in amusement and distaste. "Never mind, then."

Fez ran out of the room and Randy turned his attention to Donna. "So, are we goin' out or what?"

"Yeah." She was walking to the door with Randy when Jackie ran up behind Randy, pushed him out the door and closed it before Donna could join him. She turned her attention to her best friend.

"Hold up," Jackie's tone was demanding and a little startled. "You're going out with Randy? What about Eric?"

"What about him?"

"Oh nothing…just that he's your boyfriend!"

"No he's not."

Jackie's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "What?"

"We broke up like, two weeks ago."

"Why?" Jackie lead Donna to the bed at sat down next to her giving her full attention.

"Well, he just wrote me a letter that said we should break up."

"Wait. _He _broke up with _you_!"

"At first I was really upset, but then I realized it just wasn't working. It ended up as mutual. And it's not just because he's in Africa. We were growing apart before then."

"I didn't notice anything. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know. It's not like it was on purpose. That's just what happens sometimes. But anyway, it's for the best." Jackie looked a little unsure of Donna's serenity with the situation. "I promise you, it's fine. I'm fine. I like Randy."

Jackie was a little startled by Donna moving on so fast, but she seemed so sincere, she decided not to question it.

**xxx**

Back at her apartment, Jackie was thinking about Donna and Eric's break up. She and Donna had talked more about it since she got back from her date with Randy and if Jackie was honest with herself, Donna actually seemed perfectly fine. She found herself for some reason feeling a little concerned about Eric, though. Even though they weren't the best of friends, Eric had helped Jackie when she was having a rough time. _Why the hell not? I haven't spoken to him in forever anyway._

Jackie picked up the found Eric's number on a magnet on the refrigerator from when Fez had called him a few times and dialed the number.

**xxx **

Hyde didn't know how long he had been jogging, but he was starting to get tired. The effects of the cocaine were wearing off and his earlier restless body was becoming very tired so he decided to head back home. Slowing down to a walk, he made a mental note to quit the small stuff in the category of drugs. _That was the best high I've ever had, that I can remember anyway. Heh. _

Once he got back to the Forman's he found Sam on the couch. He had been having sexual cravings for quite some time due to the drug, but never found any attraction to Sam. He didn't even really like her. But as he saw her sitting there she had never seemed more beautiful. She seemed different. She looked different, almost like a different person he could not resist. Hyde pounced on her and Sam was overjoyed at her husband's sudden show of affection.

**xxx **

Jackie drummed her fingers on the coffee table waiting for Eric to answer the phone. He finally picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey Eric."

"Jackie?"

"Yeah."

"Uh, hey. What's up?"

"I was just wondering how you were doing."

"Really? Well that's…nice of you. You're doing something nice. Wait, you're doing something nice?"

"Haha. Very funny. It's just, Donna told me about how you two broke up. I guess I just wanted to see if you were okay, and to confirm that it actually is true. I'm still having a little trouble believing it. You two are like the golden couple."

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, it's true. I broke up with her."

"Oh, okay… bastard!"

"What?"

"Why would you do that, huh? First you break her heart by going to Africa, then you break up with her while you're in Africa. What's up with that?"

"Well, yeah, but-."

"NO! No buts. She is heartbroken."

"Really?"

"Yes…well, no."

"What?"

"No, not really. She's not heartbroken at all. Actually, she's pretty okay with it. Sort of to the point where it's annoying."

"So then why are you yelling at me?"

"I don't know. I haven't done it in so long, it just seems like it's over due."

Eric got a good laugh out of that and the rest of the conversation went smoothly. Jackie discovered that Eric was okay with the breakup, too. Everything was actually okay. But the conversation didn't end with that topic. It went on to other things. A lot of other things. Jackie finally looked at the time.

"Oh my god, it's so late."

"No it's not."

"Well, here it is."

"Oh, right. Different time zones."

"I should probably get going."

"Yeah. I guess I should, too."

"You know, I've never actually had a pleasant conversation with you. This was good."

"Yeah. It really was," Eric enjoyed talking to Jackie more than he ever thought possible. "Maybe we can talk again some other time."

"Sure."

"Alright. Talk to you later."

"Yeah, definitely."

"Bye."

"Bye."

After they hung up, they both thought the exact same thing. _Well that was weird. I actually enjoyed that. _

Jackie tried to think back to all of the conversations that she ever had with Eric. None of them had ever been exactly enjoyable. Spirit lifting, yes. _The time he convinced me that I could in fact be on television. _Helpful, yes. _That time he helped me when I was having trouble deciding between Steven and Michael and he told me to focus on my needs rather than theirs. _Comforting, yes. _I could talk to him that time I thought I might be pregnant. _But enjoyable, not really. _Well, things change, I guess. _

It was just the next day when Jackie was reading an article in a magazine that was not _Cosmopolitan _that she began wondering for reasons beyond her comprehension what Eric would think about it. She knew he would be interested. The article had to do with teaching children with learning disabilities.

What Jackie could not figure out was why she was interested in the article. Of course she knew it might have something to do with her having a learning disability, not that she would ever admit it to anyone. Along with a minor diagnosis of dyscalculia, meaning she has difficulty processing and organizing numbers, she also has a handicap when it comes to hearing and processing information and relaying it back in speech. People thought she was dumb because she could never give answers on demand. What they didn't know was that while she could understand what they were saying, it took her longer to say it back.

She picked up her phone and dialed the number he now answered to.

"Hello," Eric said into the phone after picking it up on the third ring.

"Hey, Eric," Jackie said almost shyly.

"Jackie?"

"Yeah."

"Is everything okay?" While the talk their talk the other day had been pleasant, she hadn't expected her to ever call him again. He couldn't help but think about being happy that he was wrong. But then he got to thinking it might not be a social call and something could be wrong.

"Yeah, I was just reading something that I knew you would find interesting. Do you have a minute?"

"I don't have another class for thirty minutes. What's the article about?" So he was wrong. _Good. _

"Teaching kids with learning disabilities."

Eric's first impulse was to ask Jackie why she was reading an article like this in the first place, or why she was reading a magazine that would have an article like this in the first place. But he fought those impulses and found himself intrigued with the topic.

"Really, two of my students have learning disabilities." And he wasn't just saying it to make her feel better. There were two young boys in his class with plenty of potential; they just had trouble reaching it.

Jackie proceeded to summarize the article to the man who was on the other side of the world. The conversation that followed went without turbulence and Eric hung up the phone with a better knowledge of how to teach those two boys and Jackie, while she did not confess her secret, hung up not feeling as alone knowing others had the same problems with learning that she did.

**Note: **A lot of it will be the same as the original, but I'm adding more content and putting a lot of the chapters together so they will be a little longer most of the time. I'm going with my very first original idea for this story on this one. Please review.

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	2. The Start

**Note: **I'm disappointed by the lack of reviews. For so long people have been telling me how I need to pick up this story again. Well now it's back. Come on, people. Review. Thanks to 70sforever for being my only reviewer.

**Chapter Two: The Start**

Hyde's visits to his knew dealer, namely Dan the Man, or as he was known on the streets, simply The Man, became very frequent. Circles with his friends were pretty much gone. He knew they could never go for what he was getting now. It wasn't just cocaine anymore. The Man got him into heroine, ecstasy, and even LSD. Hyde was officially in deep.

His friends had noticed a little change in him, but didn't think anything of it. It was only when Sam left that their concern for him grew.

Hyde had figured out whom Sam looked like when he was on drugs and he had accidentally said her name during sex. _Jackie_. Hyde knew deep down he was never really over her, but he had never admitted it to himself. Now he had no choice, or at least he thought he didn't, to do anything possible to get Jackie back. The problem was, he had been seeing very little of her.

**xxx **

Jackie had been spending more and more time on the phone with Eric. They spoke nearly everyday, and when they didn't talk on the phone, they were writing letters and sending packages.

Neither of them knew exactly what was going on between them, and they were both too embarrassed to be the one to bring it up in conversation. With Eric in Africa, it really didn't even matter anyway. Eric and Donna didn't work out long distance, why would they?

"You're quiet today. What's up?" Eric found Jackie's silence unsettling.

"I don't know. I just…never mind," Jackie was afraid to voice her thoughts.

"What? You can tell me anything." They had grown closer than they thought imaginable without even being on the same continent and felt that they could tell each other anything. The fact that Jackie was keeping something from him now hurt him a little, so he urged her to tell him. "You know that."

"Well, it's just…"

"Jackie?"

"What are we doing?" There. She blurted it out.

"What do you mean?" He knew exactly what she meant.

"You know what I mean." And she knew that he knew what she meant.

"Well, uh. Technically we're talking."

"Thanks. That helps."

"Sorry."

"I'm serious."

"Yeah, I know. I just, I don't know what this is either, Jackie."

"Do you like me?" She just couldn't keep herself from wondering if he liked her now, or if he still secretly hated her and this was just some giant burn.

"What?!" This startled Eric. He thought it was obvious that he liked her. _Or maybe she means in a different way. _

"I mean, you don't still hate me anymore, do you?"

"No, of course not. I never really hated you."

"You called me the devil."

"Yeah, sorry about that. But it's like, you call Donna a lumberjack, but you don't hate her. It's the same thing."

"Not really."

"How is it not the same?

Because I call Donna Lumberjack, she calls me Midget, and we're best friends, and that's just the way it is. You called me devil and burned me all the time. It wasn't a joking thing."

"Of course it was a joking thing. I never really thought you were the devil."

"Really?"

"Really. Laurie's the devil, not you."

Jackie laughed at that and Eric enjoyed the sound of her happiness.

"So, do you?"

"Do I what?"

"Do you like me?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I do."

"I like you, too."

While it was not a confession of love or even solid feelings for one another, they understood what the other meant. They had more than friendship feelings for each other.

**xxx **

Hyde sat on his cot in his dingy room with the door closed and locked. His sleeve was rolled up and a strap was tied tightly around his arm above his elbow. He took a syringe and injected heroine into his bloodstream.

Not too long ago, he had finally fallen into the category of drug addict and finally people were starting to notice. Even Jackie, who was barely in the basement anymore.

One day when she knew Hyde would be out, Kitty decided to get everyone together to discuss what they thought might be going on with Hyde. The gang had instantly ruled out drugs simply because there were really no more circles. But Kitty was a nurse and knew better.

"I think I'm going to search his room," Kitty declared to everyone and started down the steps to the basement. Everyone thought it was an unnecessary invasion of privacy, but no one objected. They all followed Kitty down into the basement.

No one helped Kitty search his room except Red. Together they found a lockbox and brought it out to the couch. Red left to get something to open in up from the garage.

"Maybe we shouldn't be doing this. It seems wrong," Donna spoke up.

"Yeah, I mean, that box is locked for a reason. He doesn't want anyone else to see the stuff inside," Jackie helped Donna.

"I know it's wrong, but I think Steven may have a serious drug problem and if he does, we need to help him," everyone knew Kitty was right.

Red returned with pliers and he opened the box. Everyone was horrified at the sight of what was inside: a few small bags of what was obviously cocaine, a vile of what was assumed to be heroine, and small metal container which contained cubes of what Kitty recognized as LSD, and a syringe.

"He's druggie," Red was fuming. He had always thought the pot he suspected Hyde of doing was bad, but his was too much.

They all decided to sit in the basement and wait for Hyde so they could they could talk to them and offer help, or wait for Red to kick him out.

**xxx **

Hyde literally fell into the basement nearly knocking the door off its hinges. It would be obvious to even the most naïve and oblivious person that he was anything but sober. He stumbled over and over again trying to gain his balance and get on his feet.

"Wha's a'goin' on, huh?" he slurred, looking to each person in the room until his bloodshot eyes focused on Jackie. His stare made her uncomfortable and she began fidgeting. "Jackieeeeeeeeeeeee."

"Steven, we need to have a talk," Red interjected. "You should sit down."

Hyde ignored Red and kept his attention on Jackie.

"Steven," Kitty said. "Steven, are you listening?" Kitty shook her head. "He won't understand anything we're saying," she informed the group.

"I don't care. I won't stand for this," Red was turning the color his name suggests.

"Red, I thought we would talk about this."

"No, no more talking. This is a disgraceful sight and I will not stand for it in my house. Steven, get out."

"Now, Red. Sending him out on the streets won't solve anything."

Red took what Kitty said to heart and began to calm down, all the while, Hyde still leering at Jackie.

"Alright, we should try and get him sobered up."

"I'll get him some coffee," Donna offered, and made her way up the stairs. When she returned with a mug of black coffee, Hyde was slumped on the couch, his glazed over eyes still resting on the only brunette woman of the room sitting in his old designated chair, a mixture of confusion, worry, and pity visible on her face. Donna presented the coffee to Hyde, which he only took after some badgering until he eventually gulped it down in no time.

"Steven, we're worried about you," Kitty spoke, while Hyde's gaze was finally torn off of Jackie, easing her senses a little. "We found these." Kitty showed Hyde the open lockbox exposing his habit. Upon seeing his items, he grew incredibly angry and stood up in a rage, knocking the box out of Kitty hands, across the room onto the floor. This instantly startled everyone and Fez was becoming scared because the box came close to colliding with his face.

"Hey, watch it!" Fez yelled out at Hyde, regretting his words the moment they left his mouth. Hyde tackled Fez and brought him to the ground. "Ay! Hyde, stop it!"

Everyone else was at first in shock of Hyde's actions except for Kitty who knew how drugs could affect people. Red and Donna began to help Fez by trying to tear Hyde off of him, but it was no go. Eventually, Jackie got up the courage and made her way between Hyde and Fez, putting her hands up in front of her facing Hyde.

"Steven, stop!" Jackie yelled in confidence. It took a moment for Hyde to register who was in front up him, but the second he did, he stopped and began his staring mode once again. "We are all so concerned about you."

"You are?" Hyde spoke with surprise.

"Yes, of course we are. We care about you and we want to help you."

Those words simply made Hyde angry again. _Help? Help with what? There's nothing wrong with me! They just think I can't be anything without their help! They just feel sorry for me! _Deep down, Hyde knew that was not how they felt, but the drugs gave him other ideas.

"I don't need your help! I don't need anybody's help!"

"Hyde, come on…" Donna began.

"No! You all stay away from me!" He began backing away from them all until he caught sight of Jackie with tears streaming out of her eyes. He took a tentative step towards her, and when she didn't move towards him in response as he was accustomed to from all the times they had been together, he took it as a sign that she didn't want him near her, rather than a sign that it was okay to approach her, but she was still cautious, as was intended on her part.

Hyde stormed out of the room leaving everyone bewildered and frustrated.

**xxx **

A few days had passed and no one had seen Hyde. Kelso and Brooke had been informed of the situation and had made their way back to Point Place to show their support. Jackie had told Eric in intricate detail the occurrences of the basement a few days prior and she was doing all she could to convince him that it was no reason to cut his time in Africa short, even though in her mind she desperately wanted Eric to be there. To see him and to hold him.

"I think I should come home," Eric was informing Jackie for the fifth time in their conversation.

"No, no. It's nothing to worry about," Jackie replied in an unconvincing manor.

Eric didn't catch on to the falter in her voice, which Jackie knew in the back of her mind she had put there on purpose.

"You don't want me to come home?" He sounded hurt, which he was.

"No, it's not that," Jackie explained, not at all wanting to give Eric the idea that she didn't want to see him, but rather the opposite. "I want to see you really badly. I think about you all the time." That confession had been a mistake and she instantly bit her tongue when it came out.

"You do?"

There was no going back now. "Yeah, I do."

"I think about you all the time, too." At his words, Jackie's heart lifted and she thought she was floating for a moment.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Every moment."

"Oh, Eric."

He sort of laughed a little at her gushing, and to his surprise, she joined him and giggled a little. After a moment, they got serious again.

"But you should know, everything with Steven will be fine."

"I guess."

They talked a little longer, and when they finally hung up, Eric began packing his things. He had believed Jackie when she said everything with Hyde would be fine. Hyde wasn't the reason he was going home.

**xxx **

It was late. When he was finally sober enough to realize that he had no idea where he was, but still had enough toxins in him not to care, Hyde found an alley and lay down, deciding that it would do for the time being.

Back at the Forman's residence, Kitty was yelling her husband, trying to get him to go out and search for the boy she thought of as a surrogate son along with Kelso and Fez.

"What if he doesn't come back?! Then we'll never be able to help him!"

"He'll have to sober up eventually. Then he'll be back." Red attempted to calm his hysterical wife.

"But…"

"No. I'm not going to start a search team to go look for that druggie. He'll be back eventually, and when he is, we'll help him. Right now, he doesn't want to be helped, so there's nothing any of us can do anyway." Red figured that sounded logical enough.

Kitty considered this and decided he was right. Hyde would come back when he's ready to be helped. At this point, there was nothing they could do. Sending people to look for him would be pointless.

**xxx **

Jackie dialed the number with which she had become so familiar and waited as it rang.

No one answered.

She knew Eric didn't have a class to teach now. They always talked at about the same time everyday. It was her turn to be the caller, so she became disappointed at the thought that he wasn't waiting for her call.

_Maybe he's running late. _She waited fifteen minutes and called again.

Still no answer.

While Jackie was about to become more distraught over Eric not answering the phone, something told her that he wasn't not answering to avoid her. For some reason she could not understand, she got excited. Like something big was about to happen. She went with her instincts and decided that she would wait for Eric to call her, or maybe come to her.

**Note: **It's going a lot faster now that I really know want I'm going for on this. Plus, most of this was already written. Once I get to where I left off, the updates won't be as frequent.

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	3. Happenings

**Note: **I don't really have much to say except, where are all my reviewers?!

**Chapter Three- Happenings **

Eric smiled as he walked out of the airport into the fresh Wisconsin air. _It's good to be back. _The down side: he didn't tell anyone he was coming back. How was he going to get home?

"Damn," he muttered and picked up a taxi. He hated riding in cabs, but he didn't want to call anyone to come pick him up. He wanted it to be a surprise. He knew his mother would try to plan a party for him even if she only had half an hour to do it.

Eric sat in the back of the taxi listening to the radio. The song sort of reminded him of how he thought of Jackie and he knew how she was feeling, even when he was on the other side of the planet.

_I've been driving all night,_

_My hands on the wheel._

_There's a voice in my head_

_That drives my heel._

_It's by baby callin',_

_Says, "I need you here." _

_And it's half past four_

_And I'm shifting gear. _

_When she is lonely _

_And the longing gets too much,_

_She sends a cable_

_Coming in from above._

_Don't need a phone at all._

_We've got a thing that's called Radar Love._

_We've got a wave in the air,_

_Radar Love. _

_The radio's playing some forgotten song. _

_Brenda Lee's "Coming On Strong." _

_The road has got me hypnotized _

_And I'm speeding into a new sunrise._

_When I get lonely_

_And I'm sure I've had enough,_

_She sends her comfort _

_Coming in from above. _

_Don't need a letter at all._

_We've got a thing that's called Radar Love. _

_We've got a time in the sky,_

_Radar Love. _

_No more speed, I'm almost there. _

_Gotta keep cool now, gotta take care._

_Last car to pass, here I go _

_And the line of cars drove down real slow. _

_And the radio played some forgotten song._

_Brenda Lee's "Coming On Strong." _

_And the newsman sang his same song. _

_One more radar love is gone. _

_When I get lonely and I'm sure I've had enough,_

_She sends her comfort, coming in from above. _

_We don't need no letter at all. _

_We've got a thing that's called Radar Love. _

_We've got a live in the sky. _

_We've got a thing that's called Radar Love. _

_We've gat a thing that's called,_

_Radar Love. _

Eric paid the cab driver and thanked him as he speed off. He took a deep breath, picked up his bags, and turned around to his childhood home. _It's exactly the same. _That sort of comforted him and annoyed him at the same time. _Well, here goes nothing. _

Eric walked onto the driveway and through the sliding doors into the kitchen. It was the middle of a Thursday afternoon and no one was in the kitchen, but he knew his mother was at home because he could smell something baking.

"Hello!"

"Hello!" a voice sounded from upstairs. He heard someone running down the stairs and then his mother burst through the door from the living room. "Oh, ERIC!" She immediately latched onto him saying loving words every mother should say to her child, and then some.

It wasn't until Red pried Kitty off of Eric that he was able to breath. "Thanks, dad."

"You're back early," Red said in his typical stern voice.

"Yes, sir."

Then, a small smile spread across Red's face. The two men embraced in a "manly" hug. "It's good to see you, son."

"Thanks, dad."

The three had been in the kitchen talking for a while after Eric took all of his things up to his old room, when he heard the door downstairs to the basement open and the sound of his friends and their ridiculous conversation filled the room. Eric's smile widened when he heard Jackie's voice. He left his parent's presence with a "bye" and headed down to the basement.

He was standing on the steps watching them all before he was noticed. He saw that Hyde wasn't there and figured that couldn't mean anything good, but the voice of his foreign friend interrupted his thoughts.

"Eric!" Fez yelled and tackled his friend on the steps.

"Hey, buddy," he laughed as Fez clung to him.

Eric was greeted by everyone, including an awkward hug with Donna and an interesting first meeting with Randy. Lastly, Jackie flung herself onto Eric nearly knocking him to the ground as Fez had done. He didn't want to let Jackie go, but knew that now was not the time to tell Jackie what he was feeling. He would have to do that when they were alone. Reluctantly, Eric let go of Jackie, not knowing that she was reluctant to let go as well.

"It's so good to see you again," Jackie said a little shyly. She couldn't remember the last time she had ever been shy around Eric, or shy at all for that matter. The two shared a small smile, and then everyone got settled into the basement.

Jackie sat in Hyde's chair, Eric on the end of the couch closest to her, Kelso on the back of the couch next to Eric, then Donna and Randy, nearly on top of each other, and then Fez sat in the lawn chair while Brooke stood behind the couch next to Kelso leaning over onto the back of the couch for support.

"So Kelso, Brooke, last I heard you two were in Chicago. What brings you here?"

Everyone looked around a little awkwardly, not wanting to flat out say they were here to help with Hyde, even though no one had seen him. Betsy had been staying with Brooke's mother. Everyone knew that Eric knew of the situation with Hyde and they just assumed it was from his parents. They had no idea it was Jackie who had told him everything. Eric quickly caught on to the meaning of their presence and did his best to change the subject. But failed.

"So…I got nothing," he said a little discouraged.

"That's okay," Donna reassured him. "I actually think it's time we all talked about what's going on with Hyde. I mean, no one's seen him, right?"

Everyone confirmed her to be correct. The conversation continued with the topic of Hyde, but both Eric and Jackie hardly noticed. They were too busy steeling glances at each other until they became content to just stare at one another.

Their feelings for each other were confirmed through that stare in what Eric liked to think of as Radar Love.

**xxx**

Hyde shivered. It was cold outside and the ratty old blanket he had was offering little to no protection against the bone chilling wind. He opened his eyes to the same alley he vaguely remembered stumbling into last night. He sat up and wrapped the blanket tighter around him. He leaned his head back against the brick wall of his temporary sleeping arrangements.

It had been a week since he left the basement and everything since then had been temporary.

Everyone had tried to pretend everything was okay, but it wasn't, and they all knew it.

On the side of good news, Jackie and Eric were spending nearly every waking moment together, but nothing had really happened between them yet. Neither one of them had told anyone else about their attraction to each other. They hadn't even talked about it to each other, even though they both knew it was there.

Eric eventually got fed up with pretending that nothing was there, but before he did anything with Jackie, he needed to talk to Donna. He stood outside of her bedroom, trying to think of what he could say, but the door opened before he could complete his thoughts.

"Jackie." Donna had apparently not been in the room alone. Eric figured he would have heard Jackie if he hadn't been so focused on his thoughts.

"Eric." Jackie got a big smile on her face upon seeing him, which Eric liked. "I thought someone was out here."

"Hey, Eric," Donna greeted him. "What's up?"

Eric walked into the room while Jackie sat back on Donna's bed with Donna.

He didn't know if he should tell Donna with Jackie right there. He didn't even know if Jackie thought Donna should know, if there was anything to know, which at this point, there wasn't. Eric set his mind in an instant and changed his plan of attack.

"Jackie, can I speak to you for a moment?"

"Sure." She stood up and walked out of Donna's room with Eric. Donna thought nothing of it really.

Eric decided this conversation would be best held in the basement. The moment the basement door was closed and Eric opened his mouth, his lips were covered in Jackie's. They stayed like that for a moment until Jackie pulled away a little shyly.

"Wha…what…uhh. Heh." Eric could hardly speak.

"I've wanted to do that for a long time now," Jackie stated simply.

Eric processed this for a moment before pulling Jackie back to him for another kiss.

**xxx**

Jackie and Eric were perfect together. They kept their romance light and secretive for a week before Eric was pressured and his mother got the information out of him. Of course, Kitty told Red who simply rolled his eyes and grunted at hearing the news of his son's new love. Once Red knew, Kitty thought the need to tell was out of her system, but she accidentally slipped to Bob, who of course Donna who told Brooke who told Kelso who told Fez who told Randy who managed to find Leo and tell him who just said, "who's Jackie and Eric?". Thus, the following scene was formed:

Everyone is gathered in the living room with Jackie and Eric sitting on the couch looking rather annoyed. They were being given a sermon initially by Donna, but it soon became a free for all.

"_Are you guys crazy?!" _

"_What the hell?!" _

"_Is this serious?!" _

"_What the hell?!" _

"_This is just a burn, right?" _

"_What the hell?!" _

"Okay, everybody shut up!" Eric stood up with defiance. He was sick of people thinking it was so weird. "Look, I like Jackie and Jackie likes me," Eric looked back at Jackie when he said this almost for reassurance, like he was nervous she didn't feel the same way. Jackie smiled at his insecurity and nodded as her signal that she did in fact like him, if not more. "No matter what we were like as kids, that's in the past. I mean, weren't we all really freaked out when Jackie and Hyde got together?"

"Well, that was different," Donna said like she didn't really believe what she was saying.

"How?"

"Because that didn't involve you!"

"Wait, you don't still love me, do you?"

That got Randy's attention, but Donna didn't think twice about her answer, putting Jackie, Eric, and Randy at ease.

"No, of course not. It's just weird, you know? I mean, it took time for us to get used to that, so, it will take time to get used to this."

"So you're not mad at me?" Jackie stood up to Donna with a hopeful look in her eyes.

"No, I'm not mad at you," Donna said as if it was obvious.

"I just thought that since you and Eric…"

"I know, I know. You know, I'm a little surprised that I'm not more upset about this. But I guess everyone really has moved on."

**xxx**

Hyde had managed to scrape some money together and went to get another load from Dan the Man. He came across Leo in his quest and was happy to see a friendly face from his past.

"Leo!"

"Hyde, man."

"Leo, where've you been?"

"Oh, I've been hanging out with all the guys. You know, uhhh, in that basement place. It's a pretty nice place. You know, with the nice lady who bakes a lot, and all the guys, who bake a lot." Hyde laughed at this. He had missed Leo's unintended humor. "Oh, hey, Loud Girl is there, too, man. I know you love her."

Hyde's eyes softened at the mention of the only girl he ever loved.

"How is she?"

"She's great! She's in love." Hyde was surprised by this statement and smiled for a bit thinking she might still love him. "Yeah, she loves that skinny guy. I can tell."

"What!" He didn't see that coming.

"Yeah, he's pretty cool, man. I can tell he loves her, too. They're pretty nice together, man."

In that instant, Hyde's entire world fell to the ground and was buried with the remains of the Roman Empire. _Well, it's not like she was gonna love you forever. _He was trying to make sense of it all in his head, but couldn't. _She's supposed to be with me. She belongs with me. Least of all Forman. _

**xxx **

Dan had become comfortable with Hyde as he had been with him for some time now, but after the new information Hyde had received, Hyde became all but trustworthy. In a moment of weakness, Hyde robbed Dan blind and left him beaten in an alley, barely breathing.

**Note:** Please review.

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	4. Crime

Note: Hey y'all

**Chapter Four- Crime**

One week later, Jackie stumbled into a hospital holding her torn clothes around her bruised body and made her way to the front desk at the nurse's station. She didn't need to say anything. The moment the nurse saw her, she paged a doctor and got Jackie into room.

Much to Jackie's preference, a female doctor came into the hospital room she currently inhabited.

"Hi Jackie," the doctor said. "I'm Dr. Reid."

"Hi," Jackie croaked out.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Dr. Reid asked sweetly.

Jackie looked down in her lap, tears building up in her eyes. "I…" She shook her head.

"We're you attacked?" Jackie nodded. "We're you raped?" she said this with a lower voice. Jackie nodded and the tears spilled out of her eyes. Dr. Reid nodded her head. She then turned her head and nodded to a nurse who was standing near the door. The nurse responded with her own nod and left the room to go call the police.

It was about fifteen minutes later that the door to Jackie's hospital room opened and two people stepped inside. One was an attractive man who looked to be in his mid forties. He was tall and very well built, wearing a suit and tie and his smile was sincere and comforting. The other was a woman most likely in her late thirties or early forties. Her brown hair was cut short into a cute bob cut and she wore a pair of jeans and a brown leather jacket. Her strikingly pretty face wore a sympathetic smile. Jackie correctly assumed that they were police officers.

"Hi," the woman said. "I'm Olivia," she said as she flashed her badge, the man doing the same. "And this is Elliot. We're detectives from the Special Victims Unit."

"Hi," Jackie meekly responded.

"What's your name?" Olivia asked. Of course the nurse had already told them her name, but the two veteran detectives had always been able to tell how forthcoming a victim would be based on whether or not she would give her name and how easily she did.

Jackie swallowed the lump in her throat before whispering her name just loudly enough for her visitors to hear. "Jackie…Burkhart," she added when she realized that they would probably want a last name as well.

Both detectives gave her a comforting smile and inwardly sighed in relief. She would not impede their investigation.

"Okay, Jackie," Elliot started, "the nurse told us that none of your injuries are severe and that you don't appear to have a concussion, so they are going to let you go in about an hour, but first, we need to have a rape kit done."

Jackie looked apprehensive. "Rape kit?"

"It's just a simple procedure," he explained. "The doctor is going to do an examination and check for any type of evidence that will help us find who raped you."

"I know…" Jackie began.

A look of realization crossed the faces of the detectives.

"Do you know who raped you?" Olivia asked.

Jackie thought a moment before shaking her head in the negative. "No, I don't."

It was clear that she was lying.

"Jackie, if you know, you need to tell us."

"I can't."

Olivia and Elliot exchanged looks. Apparently she wouldn't be as forthcoming as they thought, but they decided to leave the subject for further probing when they would take her statement at the station. For now, they just wanted to get the rape kit done. Dr. Reid came back into the room and once again gave Jackie a comforting smile.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

Jackie only nodded and the doctor began to prepare her by putting her legs up in stirrups, something they had to be pushed to do. Olivia stayed with her while Elliot went outside the call the person Jackie asked him to. A Mrs. Kitty Foreman.

**xxx**

"Jackie! Jackie, where are you?!"

"Excuse me Miss, you need to calm down," a random nurse told a hysterical Kitty Foreman.

"Don't tell me to clam down! I need to see Jackie!" she yelled.

"Okay, okay. What's her last name?" the nurse asked as she went behind the counter to her computer.

"Burkhart. Jackie Burkhart."

The nurse typed in the name and her face fell at the information that came up. _She's the rape victim. _"Room 107."

"Thank you," Kitty said as an after thought and rushed down the hall.

The rape kit had already been done and Jackie was getting dressed in some sweats that the hospital provided because her close where being kept by the detectives as evidence. Not that she wanted them back anyway. Elliot and Olivia were standing outside of the room talking to Dr. Reid.

"A lot of trauma to the genital area. Luckily, I found fluids," she was telling the detectives.

Elliot saw Kitty rushing towards them and could take a guess at whom she was.

"Are you Kitty Forman?" he asked her.

"Yes. Are you Detective Stabler?"

"Yes, I am."

Kitty breathed for what seemed like the first time since she received the call form the Kenosha Detective.

"Where's Jackie? What happened? Is she okay? I need to see her."

"Okay, Mrs. Foreman, calm down," Olivia told her. "Jackie is in this room."

"Who are you?"

"This is my partner, Detective Benson," Elliot introduced.

"Oh, hello. Can I please see Jackie? You wouldn't tell me what was wrong over the phone."

"Mrs. Foreman," Elliot began before taking a big breath. He hated this part. "Jackie was raped."

Kitty's face went white with horror before she let out a scream of the name 'Jackie' and rushed passed Dr. Reid and the detectives into the room where she was met with the sight of Jackie dressed in hospital sweats, sitting on the bed with her feat dangling over the side, her head down and dried tears covering her face.

Jackie looked up to see the woman who was like a second mother to her, or really her first mother, depending upon how you look at it, and rushed to her in a crushing hug, fresh tears making new tracks over the old ones as she cried.

Kitty let out a sob and held the girl who was like a daughter to her in a vice-like grip, unwilling to let go for fear that another of the world's brutal realities would befall on her, and that was just fine with Jackie.

**Note: **I know, not very long. But hey, at least I'm back. I'm going to be honest. Updates for this story as well as the Untitled Forbidden Ship will not be very regular, the same can be said for my Law & Order: SVU stories, so at least I'm consistent on some level. Please review.

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	5. Victim

Note: Sorry

**Note:** I'm back! Okay, so I totally plan on finishing this story and _Untitled_ by the end of the summer before I go off the college. PaceU in NYC, baby! I really hope I deliver on the promise. I know I haven't been writing much this summer, but I just wanted to get a bunch of stuff out of the way.

This is for gogo-girlie, Raqndomer, anon, atruwriter, kezztip, flamingoboy551, poeticgrace, effortlesslyEPiC, and BloodyLyra.

**Chapter Five- Victim**

Jackie had wanted to go home and shower before she went to the police station to give her official statement, but they were in Kenosha and the drive to Point Place would take half and hour in itself. She knew she didn't want to talk at all until she had showered, so the detectives said that she could use the shower at the precinct.

Kitty had offered to go pick up some clothes for her, but Jackie didn't want her to leave, so when Mrs. Foreman informed all the necessary parties of the situation, she made sure to instruct Donna to bring an extra pair of clothes. Underwear, bra, jeans, and a simple t-shirt would suffice as well as some shoes and socks.

While Jackie showered, Kitty talked with the detectives and answered their questions.

I've known Jackie since she was four.

Pamela Burkhart couldn't care less about her daughter. As far as I'm concerned, I'm her mother.

Last I heard she was in Acapulco. I don't have a number.

Her father is in jail.

She can be a little loud and bossy, but that doesn't give anyone the right-!

Well I hope it isn't someone she knows because then it would be someone I know and I just can't…

Thank you. Please, find who did this. You have to.

**xxx**

It wasn't as good as her own shower, but it was better than she had been expecting. The female detective had been nice enough to let her use her shampoo, conditioner, and body wash that she kept in her locker rather than the generic stuff that was in there. Jackie at first had turned down her offer, but she had insisted. It was odd. Usually Jackie wouldn't have thought twice before taking the higher quality items that were offered to her, and usually she wouldn't have even considered showering in anyplace that was not of familiar surroundings to her. But now she didn't care where she showered, as long as the water was hot enough to nearly burn her, and it didn't matter what products she used in her hair and on her body, as long as they cleaned her. Not her typical criteria. Of course, the entire situation was anything but typical.

She wasn't sure how long she had been in the shower, but when she got out, her clothes were laid out for her, so she either took a really long shower, or someone had broken a lot of traffic laws to get them here so fast. She didn't care enough to find out. She simply dressed herself and walked back out into the precinct.

Jackie saw Donna talking to Detective Stabler and when Donna saw her she forgot all about who she was talking to and rushed over to her best friend.

"Jackie!" Donna screeched.

Jackie didn't say anything, but allowed herself to be hugged by the tall girl and hugged back.

After the usual tears of the best friend had been shed, the detectives told Jackie that they needed to get going on her statement, but before they did that, Elliot and Olivia introduced Jackie as well as Donna and Kitty to the captain of the precinct, Captain Cragen, and the ADA, Casey Novak, who would prosecute the case after the detectives caught the guy. Jackie wasn't quite sure if that was a good thing at the moment, but they both seemed nice enough. Polite and professional while still showing their sympathies, but not overdoing it. It was clear that they had both been doing their jobs for quite some time and that comforted Jackie.

She was led into a room with a one-way mirror where she learned the Captain and ADA would be watching from. They had asked if she wanted anyone with her, and Jackie even surprised herself when she said 'no;' this was something she felt she needed to do on her own.

While the male detective leaned against the wall her back was facing, the female detective sat in front of her with a pad of paper and a pencil ready to write what Jackie said.

"Well," Jackie began. "We had all decided to go to a club in Kenosha because-"

Olivia cut her off. "Who is 'we'?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Donna, Fez, Michael, Eric, Randy, Brooke, and I."

"Last names?"

"Donna Pinciotti, Michael Kelso, Eric Foreman, Fez…" Jackie hesitated. "Well, that's not really his name. He's foreign, it's long…"

"We'll get to it later," Elliot piped in and left his spot against the wall to sit next to his partner.

Jackie nodded and continued.

"Okay, so we all, Donna, Eric, Michael, Fez, Randy, Brooke, and I went to a club…

_Everyone had decided they would celebrate. Eric had just landed a job as a Teacher's Assistant at the Point Place Community College. While it wasn't that great of a job it was a job and he was teaching. _

_It was a popular scene and the seven of them were waiting in line to get in. Unbeknownst to them, a pair of eyes were watching them from an alley across the street, or more specifically, Eric with his arm around Jackie. The girl the eyes claimed as his. _

_The eyes watched the pair intently until the seven were granted entrance into the club. The eyes thought about following them in, but could not manage to get the message to his legs to follow. Instead, the legs took a different course. _

"…and we got into the club. I didn't notice anyone around-," Jackie's statement to the detective was cut short when a she heard a commotion coming from the other side of the door.

A man was yelling and Jackie immediately recognized the voice. She left the room, much to the displeasure of the detectives and found Red Foreman along with Brooke, Michael, Randy, and Fez.

"Well what's going to be done about this?!" Red was yelling at an older skinny detective who for some reason was wearing dark sunglasses in doors.

"Red, calm down," Kitty was trying control her husbands anger and was failing, but when he finally saw Jackie on the other side of the room, he shut up and walked quickly to her and enveloped her into a hug that made her feel unbelievably safe. Red had only ever admitted to liking Jackie once, and that was years ago after she had proved herself worthy of helping him fix his car. Apparently holding a flashlight is a rare ability not possessed by anyone else he knew other than Jackie. Looking back, Red realized how much he truly did like, and dare he think it, love the young girl, loud and bossy as she may be. He made a mental note to tell her this more often.

After he let go of her, the rest of her friends bombarded her. Kelso actually lifted her into the air and nearly refused to let her down. Fez held onto her and cried and had to be pried off by Randy, who held onto her shoulders at arms length, looked her straight in the eye and asked her if she was going to be okay. It would have been stupid to ask if she was okay at the moment. Of course she wasn't, but she knew she would be, and she told him so and that's all that he cared about at the moment and he pulled her into a quick, but comforting hug. While Randy and her had never been the closest of friends, they had once bonded over a conversation about hair care products and Randy felt no less angry at the cruel world or emotionally drained had it been Donna or even himself that had been attacked. Then Brooke nearly knocked her over with the force of her hug and much like Fez could not stop crying. Finally after everyone settled down and they were all answering questions, Elliot and Olivia got Jackie back into the separate room and she continued with her story.

_The club was incredibly crowded and they made a beeline for the bar. Drinks were ordered along with a few shots. Donna, Jackie, and Brooke managed to coax their men onto the dance floor after Fez did a few of his oh so famous dance moves and wooed a few ladies at the club. Kelso was embarrassing the hell out of Brooke while she tried to calm down his erratic movements. Donna was trying to push away the others girls at the club drawn to Randy and his great hair as he flipped it around in a sexy, yet somehow manly way. _

_Jackie and Eric were a different story. Eric was trying his best not to embarrass himself in front of his new girlfriend while she laughed a little at his uneasiness. She decided it would be best to slow down the movements and she put his hands on her hips and covered them with hers while she swayed coyly in front of Eric causing him to blush a little. When Jackie confirmed that Eric's hands would stay on her hips she moved her hands up to rest on his chest and continued her movements while Eric only swayed slightly back and forth. _

_Everyone was thoroughly enjoying themselves as the night came into its latest hours before the next days morning came at midnight. What no one in the club knew was that in the alley behind the club where the back entrance was, those same pair of eyes waited for one person…_

"Jackie!"

"No," Detective Stabler said as Jackie got up from the table to make her way to the person the voice belonged to. The person she so desperately wanted to see at the moment. "Just finish here and then you can go back out."

"But…" Jackie felt like she was going to cry again. She knew he was only doing his job and that he was probably frustrated with the interruptions and just wanted to get this done, especially since the day was just reaching seven in the morning, but at that moment she hated him and his authority.

When the female detective noticed that she was about to cry, she told her to go on, but not to take too long. Jackie nodded and rushed out the door, not even caring about the fight Olivia had started between her and her partner.

"Eric!" Jackie yelled as she flung herself into her boyfriend's arms.

Neither of the two spoke as their embrace changed from a fierce hug, to holding each other as their foreheads rest together, simply wanted to be in the presence of one another.

As the two held each other close, Eric couldn't stop the words from escaping his mouth. "I love you." He whispered to his girlfriend.

Jackie lifted her head from where it had been resting on his chest and looked deep into his eyes and without a second's hesitation responded, "I love you, too."

The two stayed like that for a moment, simply lost in each other, blocking out the world around them until one detective said he needed to ask Eric some questions and a less impatient looking Detective Stabler came looking for Jackie. Clearly Olivia had cooled him down, something only a select few people have the power to do, and Jackie decided that she had forgiven him for his impatience. He really only wanted to help her.

Jackie came back into the room and sat down where she had before, but not before sharing a longing look with Eric, each silently repeating the words they had only spoken to each other for the first time moments ago.

_It was a little past 2 o'clock in the morning when the Basement Bunch were considering heading in for the night, or technically morning as Eric had pointed out. Kelso, Fez, and Brooke left after the thirty-sixth girl he had hit on rejected Fez and he then vomited. Donna, Randy, Eric, and Jackie decided they would leave as well and Jackie was going to go back with Eric to his house, but at the last minute said she would catch up with Donna and Randy and join their cab to go back to her apartment. She kissed Eric goodnight and ran around the corner while he waited for his own cab. Eric didn't know she never made it to the cab and Donna and Randy never knew she had been planning to join them…_

**Note: **Review please. Get it. Got it. Good.


	6. Questions

It was a little past 2 o'clock in the morning when the Basement Bunch were considering heading in for the night, or technically

**Note:** This has got to be a record of mine. Thanks to Kagome Higurahi-Uzumaki and BloodyLyra.

**Chapter 6- Questions**

_Jackie saw Randy and Donna getting into the cab and was about to shout to them when a hand covered her mouth and pulled her into the alley behind the club…_

"So he came at you from behind?" Olivia asked Jackie, who nodded in confirmation.

"Jackie…" Elliot threaded his fingers together as his hands rested on the table in front of him and he leaned forward in his chair and looked directly at the young girl, his stare unwavering. "Who was it?"

Both of the detectives knew that Jackie could identify her attacker. She wasn't the best liar.

Jackie fiddled with her hands and kept her eyes in her lap. "I don't know."

Elliot sighed and bowed his head, before lifting it up again. "I think you do."

Jackie shook her head and started to cry again. "No, no I don't."

'We both know that's not true," Elliot said softly. "Now why won't you tell us?"

"I can't." Jackie still wouldn't look up.

Olivia got up from her chair and walked around the table and kneeled down in front of Jackie. "You care about him, don't you?'

Jackie nodded.

Both detectives would have thought it was her boyfriend considering that she was holding back, but she had run right into his arms when he arrived, so while he was not completely ruled out, seeing as how they had not gotten alibis yet, both felt it in their gut that he was not their perpetrator.

"Jackie, you're not doing him any favors by not talking," Elliot told her. "He needs help, and he can't get it until we know who he is."

Jackie just shook her head.

Olivia went back to her seat and picked up her pen. "Okay, just tell us what happened next then."

"He pulled me into the back of the alley and pushed me against a dumpster." Tears were collecting behind her eyes as Olivia and Elliot leaned in close to hear her soft voice in the interviewing room and Cragen and Casey had to turn up the speaker that was set up between the rooms to hear on the other side of the glass.

"Jackie, did he say anything?" Olivia asked.

Jackie hesitated for a moment as her eyes circled the room before answering 'no.'

Jackie then continued. "He held my face and tried to kiss me, but I kept shaking my head away. I tried to scream for help, but we were right next to a club deep in an alley, no one would hear over the noise, and he pushed me harder into the dumpster when I did scream. He started grabbing my breasts. Hard. He forced his knee between my legs, which I were trying to keep closed. He kept his knee there while he ripped open my shirt. He continued grabbing everything he could on me while he started kissing my neck. The whole time I didn't stop moving, trying to fight him off in someway, but he was too strong. At one point I managed to slap him across the face, so he held both of my arms above my head by my wrists with one hand and continued to…grope me, with the other. He tore off my bra and ripped my skirt up the side. He stuck his free hand, the one that wasn't holding my arms above my head, into my underwear. He started…" Jackie could hardly go on anymore and she laid her head down on the table in her folded arms and cried.

"Jackie, sweetie, I know this is hard, but you have to keep going," Olivia held Jackie's hand reassuringly.

"We're almost done," Elliot let her know.

Jackie nodded and continued. "He put his fingers…inside of me. He fingered me like that for a moment before he just pulled my underwear down to my knees. Then he unzipped himself and…I can't."

"Please Jackie," Olivia was pleading with her.

"He pushed himself inside of me. Really hard. It hurt so much. The whole time he was still holding my arms above me by my wrists. He continued until he came. Then he asked if _I_ came." Jackie looked disgusted as she stared past the detectives, almost as if she was forgetting where she was and why she was telling the story in the first place.

"I thought he didn't say anything." Elliot reminded Jackie of her previous claim.

"Oh, yeah." Jackie's focus snapped back to the detectives. "Well, that was the only thing he said. I yelled at him, saying of course I didn't come. He got really mad at that. He pushed me back harder this time. Then he knocked me onto the ground. He started groping me again with his one free hand, and got himself going before he…did it again. That happened I think like, two more times. He would always put me in some sort of position and do… I guess what he considered four play before he, you know. It was like all he was trying to do was make me come. Eventually, the last time, I told him that I came and he smiled and stopped. Then he kissed me and ran off. I just sort of sat there for a bit before I managed to get myself up go to the hospital."

Olivia finished writing and looked up at Jackie. "Please, Jackie. Give us his name."

**xxx**

"I don't know why anyone would want to hurt her!" Eric was yelling at Detective Munch.

"Well apparently her father isn't exactly a law abiding citizen. At least that is what some of you other friends have told us." Munch raised a single brow and cupped his hands on the table in front of him.

"Her father," Eric spoke more to himself as the thought occurred to him. "You think someone did this to get to her father?"

"Well we don't know. That's why we're asking you."

"Well, maybe. I don't know…I guess. I can't think of any other reason someone would want to hurt her like this. I mean, she can be bitchy, but…"

"Thank you."

Eric shook hands with the detective and left the room to join his grieving friends and parents.

The group sat together around a bench waiting for Jackie.

They had all talked to a detective now, some of them more than once, but throughout all the questions, only one of them had thought of something that the others didn't. Red just didn't mention it. He wanted to talk to Jackie first. Until that time, one name ran through his head. _Steven_.

**xxx**

The detectives were practically begging Jackie for the name. She was no longer denying that she knew who it was, she just wouldn't tell them. Elliot had taken the unlikely route and asked if it was her boyfriend, Eric.

Olivia had had to pull Jackie off of her partner and Cragen and Casey had come in to settle the commotion that that question sprang.

"How dare you?!" Jackie yelled. "Of course it wasn't! Eric loves me!"

After they got her settled down, Elliot spoke again. "To be honest, Jackie, I don't think it is Eric, but right now, we've got nothing to go on and we all know that you know who it is. We also know that you lied in your retelling of what happened."

Jackie looked up at all of them wide-eyed at that. "What do you mean?"

"Jackie…" Olivia said softly. "We've been doing this for a while. We can tell when someone isn't giving us the whole truth. He said more to you, didn't he?"

Jackie nodded.

"Please, Jackie, _please,_" Elliot begged. "You need to tell us what he said and who he is."

"If I tell then she's going to send him to jail," Jackie said, pointing at the ADA. "And I can't do that."

"Jackie," Casey spoke up as she sat down in a seat next to Jackie and turned the chair to face the young girl. "I can tell that you care about this person…" Jackie nodded. "And I know that you don't want him to get into trouble…" Another nod. "But this person, _your friend_, obviously needs help. We can help him."

"No, you'll just put him in jail!" Jackie yelled at her.

"Considering what he did to you," Elliot spoke as softly as he could while still being heard, "don't you think he should?"

Jackie was lost at this question. She wasn't sure how to answer.

"He doesn't deserve your loyalty, Jackie," Olivia said.

"But…but he didn't mean it," Jackie said. "It wasn't his fault."

"Jackie," Casey spoke again, "if that really, truly is the case, he can be found 'not competent' to stand trial and he'll get the help he needs."

"I know that's the case," Jackie assured her. "That wasn't the Steven I know." Her eyes went wide, realizing she'd just given them a name.

"Steven who?" Cragen asked.

Jackie let her head fall onto the table surrounded by her arms. "Noooooooo!"

Cragen walked out of the room and to the group of people all crowded around one bench who were there for Jackie.

Eric was the first to notice the Captain of the squad in front of them. "So…you find anything?"

Cragen didn't respond to what was asked of him and asked the group his own question. "Do any of you know a 'Steven?'

Red cussed aloud at his suspicions being right, but no one noticed as the realization struck them all. _It was Hyde. _

**Note: **It was a little shorter than the others, but I felt that this was a good place to stop. Please review.

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	7. Betrayal

Chapter Seven: Betrayal

**Note: **Here you go!

**Chapter Seven: Betrayal **

Hyde was staggering through the streets with no clear destination in mind. He needed a fix, but he had no money and he had already gone through all the stuff he had stolen from Dan after he had beaten him to a bloody pulp. At least, he assumes it was him who did it. To be honest, he doesn't remember it at all, but Dan had been lying there unconscious and beaten and Hyde'sHHksjhngv hands were bloody. Even in his state he could infer correctly what had happened.

Hyde was trying very hard to remember beating him; along with a few other time periods he couldn't seem to recall anything when a police car pulled up beside him.

The nest thing Hyde knew, he was in the back of that police car, the words 'you are under arrest for the assault and rape of Jacqueline Burkhart' running through his mind.

_I did what?!_

**xxx**

After Jackie had finally admitted that it was Steven who had raped her, the detectives went asking around for him with his picture in the area around the club where the rape had occurred. About a mile away from the club, a girl who worked behind the counter at a convenience store recognized him after he had wandered into the store about five minutes ago looking like death and then continued on down the street.

Now, after an arraignment with some random guy in a suit acting as his attorney before he got a permanent one, something he was adamantly against, and let out with a bail of five thousand dollars which someone, Hyde, didn't know who, paid, he sat in the same room Jackie had sat in earlier that day confused beyond belief with two detectives trying to get him to confess to something he didn't remember. He had been in there for about an hour when a defense attorney came in for him. Attorney Trevor Langan answered the silent question of the detectives saying that the victim, Jacqueline Burkhart had called him and it seemed that she had also paid off his bail as well.

With coffee running through him, Hyde was much more aware of what was going on, so when he heard that Jackie had called a defense attorney for him, he made it very clear that he did not understand what was going on.

"She did?!" he yelled. "So then I couldn't have done it! Why would she call an attorney for me and pay my bail if I did it?"

"Steven," Olivia said. "We know it was you. She told us it was, but for some reason she still cares about you."

"This is unbelievable! I don't remember raping anybody!"

"With all the drugs you've been doing, I'm not surprise," Detective Stabler told the confused perpetrator. When he received a look from Hyde he continued. "Yeah, that's right. Mr. Foreman told us all about your recent recreational activities."

"I think I would have remembered something like that!" Hyde argued, but even as he said it, he was remember Dan and how he didn't remember any of that either, but there was only one logical conclusion.

"That's not true and you know it," the female detective said, seemingly tapping into his thoughts.

"But if I don't even remember it, how can I be blamed!" Steven yelled.

"You can't," he defense attorney piped in. "Now is Casey going to be making an appearance or not."

Hyde didn't know who Casey was, but he didn't care, he just wanted to get out of there and find Jackie. To find out what the hell was going on. He of course guessed though, that she probably didn't want to see him.

Not much time later, ADA Casey Novak walked into the room. "Five years."

Hyde had no idea what that meant.

"Dream on, Casey. You know he doesn't remember any of it. He was on too many drugs. He's not responsible," Trevor said.

"He was on drugs of his own volition. It's his own fault," she continued to argue.

"Regardless of that, he was not competent at the time, therefore, he is not responsible. Three years probation and mandatory drug counseling."

"After what he did to her? No way! Five years in a minimum-security prison with chance of parole after three."

Hyde finally started to get what was going on. _Prison? I can't go to prison! _

"We'll take our chances in court," Trevor said as he stood up. "Come on Steven." He looked back to Casey. "You'll have my notice of defense by reason of mental disability or defect on your desk in an hour." With that, Trevor and Hyde were out the door, but Hyde had no idea where exactly he was going.

As they were leaving Casey shouted after him, "Just because he took drugs doesn't mean he's crazy!"

"At the time, he was!" Trevor shouted back, and then they were gone.

**xxx**

Jackie sat in the basement of the Foreman house. She had said she had wanted to go home, but Kitty wouldn't let her be alone in that big mansion, and to be honest, she was glad she wasn't. She needed the day to be regular, the same, boring, and that that was hanging out in her boyfriend's basement.

She was on the couch with Eric next to her and she sat snuggled into his body with his arm around her. Donna was on the other side of her, Fez was in the lawn chair, Randy was sitting on the washing machine, and Brooke was sitting in Kelso's lap in Hyde's chair. Or his old chair now.

_Steven. _No one knew that she had posted his bail and called a lawyer for him. Not even Eric. They would probably be mad when they found out. To be honest, she wasn't she why she felt the need to do those things for him. She didn't feel sorry for him. In fact, she hated him, as she rightly should. But for some reason, despite this, she still cared about him. He had been her friend. Her lover. You don't just forget things like that. Besides, he had also been as far from sober as possible at the time and she knew that he didn't know what he had been doing. Not that that makes it okay. It just makes the circumstances different. It meant that there was hope for him after all.

**Note: **Short chapter, I know. Sorry, but I wanted to hold off on some of the other things like the trial until the next chapter. Please review.

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	8. Perpetrator

Chapter Eight: Perpetrator

**Note: **Here you go!

**Chapter Eight: Perpetrator **

The next month or so went by interestingly enough. Because of his lawyer's insistence that he could not stay on the streets as he had been, especially for fear that he would get a hold of drugs, Hyde stayed in a motel, obviously not welcome at the Foreman residence. Not that he even tried to see if he could stay there. That would have been a waste of time and he knew.

He spent most of his time preparing for trial with his lawyer and the rest of his time trying to contact some of his old friends and going to NA meetings at a community center upon the advice of Trevor. The NA meetings where going a lot better than trying to get in touch with anyone who he would hand out in the basement with. It wasn't that he couldn't reach them. He knew the number. It's just that they hung up anytime he told them who it was or his voice was recognized. He couldn't really blame them for hating him, but he just wanted so badly to have his old life back.

Then, on a Friday, three days before the trial, someone who he hadn't been expecting to answer the Foreman phone, did.

"Hello?"said a woman's voice that Hyde immediately recognized, but it was much softer than usual.

"J-Jackie?" Hyde stuttered. He didn't know whether or not anyone who had previously been answering his calls had told her about them.

"Yes. Who is this?" Again, it wasn't how she typically spoke, and Hyde realized that it was because of him, because of what he had done, that she had lost her hard edge and was now a soft-spoken person. Jacqueline Burkhart had never been soft-spoken.

Hyde was a little upset that she didn't recognize his voice, but then again, it had been a month since they had seen each other at the police station when he had been brought in.

"Some one you probably shouldn't be talking to," Hyde responded.

"Steven,"Jackie said, not questioning, but knowing whom it was.

"I wasn't expecting you to answer the Foreman's phone."

"Well, everyone else was busy and…" Jackie drifted off. She couldn't explain this feeling that was coming over her as she was talking to the person that had raped her. One of her oldest friends. She didn't think it was fear. It was more like she felt the need to be overly cautious. Even though they were only on the phone and he couldn't hurt her, she felt that she wanted to be very careful about what she said for some reason, though all she really wanted to do was yell and scream at him, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Hyde was about to say something when he heard someone on the other line talking to Jackie, and then that person picked up the phone. "Who is this?" Eric, her boyfriend now. Hyde wondered why Jackie didn't tell him who it was.

"It's Hyde, man."

There was a long pause. Eric had answered the phone when Hyde had called many times. Sometimes he hung up on him, sometimes he yelled at him before hanging up on him, and sometimes he just said 'stay away from Jackie' or 'don't call here again' and then hung up on him. Either way, Hyde figured he was getting hung up on. He just didn't know if anything would come before it or not.

But the pause continued and Hyde was curious and strained his ears more, realizing that Eric was talking to Jackie, but he couldn't understand what they were saying. Then, Eric's voice came over the phone again.

"What do you want?"

Well that was new.

"Uh." Hyde was struck speechless for a moment. He had always known that there was something he wanted to say when he called, but between Kitty's sobbing whenever she picked up, to Red's silent treatment which meant he no longer cared about you when he answered to Eric's array of possible responses to when another random person in the house answered and immediately hung up, Hyde had never actually gotten to say something, not that he deserved his time to talk, but he still never got it, he was now struck in awe. He would actually get to say something. Now he just had to remember what he wanted to say.

"You better hurry up and say what you want to say before I hang up," Eric threatened.

"I just…I just wanted to say…that I'm sorry."

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to."

"I know…"

Then the unexpected happened. Hyde heard a shuffling and a small argument, and then Jackie was back on the phone. "Steven? You wanted to say something?"

"Jackie….yeah. Yeah, I wanted to say something. I wanted to say that I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Jackie. You don't even know how much. That isn't me Jackie. You know me, and that wasn't me. It was the drugs."

"That doesn't make it okay," she responded in her now soft demeanor, which Hyde inwardly cursed himself for because he was responsible for it.

"I know. I know that doesn't make it okay. But I'm still sorry. I'm getting better though, I promise. I'm going NA meetings. I've been sober for this whole month sense I got arrested, I swear." And it was true. He had been completely sober. No drugs, including pot, and no alcohol either. His attorney had told him that Jackie had hired him on the conditions that he stays sober, or else, she wouldn't pay him.

"Good," Jackie said. "You know I've been talking to Trevor." Hyde recognized his attorney's name.

"You have?"

"I wanted to see how you were doing, and he says you have been staying sober."

"Yeah." Then Hyde remembered the one thing he really needed to ask her. "Jackie, why did you post my bail and get me an attorney? And how could you afford it? I thought most of your family's money was gone now."

There was a long pause before Jackie spoke. "Trevor is an old friend of the family. He's doing it at a discount. And why? Because we've been through a lot together, Hyde, and nothing you've done can change that. I care about you, no matter how much I wish I didn't."

And after hearing that, Hyde made a decision.

"I'm glad you still care about me. I won't ever hurt you again."

"Okay."

After Jackie said that, the phone was given back to Eric. "We'll see you at trial."

And right before Eric hung up, Hyde got in the words, "There won't be a trial."

**xxx **

Right after Hyde finished talking with Eric and Jackie he called his lawyer asking if he could meet with him, to which Trevor told him to come to his office.

Hyde felt out of place walking through the building of the firm Trevor worked with. They were on a different class level than he was. Filthy rich. He received many stares as he walked through the building in his less than clean clothes.

Finally he made it to his attorney's office and knocked on the door. He heard someone say, "Come in," from the other side, so he did and closed the door behind him before sitting down in one of the two seats opposite Trevor's desk where she sat at the moment.

"Trials in a few days, Steven," Trevor said. "What do you need?"

"I want to plead guilty," Hyde said.

Trevor nodded. "Do you know that you could get up to ten years?"

"I would get the same thing if I was found 'guilty' at a trial. This way, Jackie doesn't have to worry about anything."

"But you could be found 'not guilty,' you know?"

"But I am guilty."

Trevor leaned forward in his chair with his elbows on his desk. "Look, Steven. You did something very wrong, true, but you were under a heavy influence of drugs when you did it. Hell, you don't even remember it."

"That doesn't make it okay."

"No. No, it doesn't. I just want to make sure that you know what you're doing."

"I do," Hyde said with confidence.

"Okay then. I'll call the judge and the DA."

**Note:** So the story is officially winding down. I'm expecting two more chapters; neither of them will probably be especially long, so sorry about that. Please review. Get it. Got it. Good.


	9. The End

Chapter Nine: The End

**Note: **Well, here it is, the final chapter. Enjoy.

**Chapter Nine: The End**

Despite being totally sober, everything went by for Hyde in a blur. He plead guilty and was sentenced to five years in a minimum security prison with mandatory drug counseling and no chance of parole until after four years. Everyone thought he got off easy. Including himself.

He had been in for about a month when he got his first visitor, Jackie.

"What are you doing here?" He spoke into the phone that connected to the one that Jackie held on the opposite side of the glass.

"I came to see you," she said softly.

"Well, I know, but…why?"

"I needed to confirm something."

"What?"

"I need to know who raped me."

Hyde was very confused. "I don't…"

"Was it Steven, or Steven on drugs?"

Now he understood. "It was the drugs, I swear. I don't even remember….Jackie, I can't believe I hurt you. I'm sorry. That wasn't me."

"I think I knew that."

"Good."

"That doesn't make it okay, Steven," Jackie reminded him solemnly. "I don't think I can ever…."

"What?" He hoped she wasn't going to say what he thought she might.

"I don't think I can ever forgive you."

_Dammit._ That's what he was hoping she wouldn't say. But if he was honest with himself, he didn't expect her to ever forgive him. "I don't expect you to."

Jackie only nodded. "Goodbye, Steven."

**xxx**

_Eight Years Later _

"I can't believe it's finally happening!"

"You better start believing, 'cause after the honeymoon, real life kicks in."

"Oh shut up, Donna! This is my day and I don't need you and your depression ruining it," Jackie scolded her maid of honor.

"What depression? I'm just telling you what's going to happen," Donna told her best friend as they stood in front of the mirror together all dressed and ready and waiting for the reception to start. "I mean, don't get me wrong. I love Chris, but sometimes married life just seems to get so insane."

"Okay, now you're really ruining it, Donna," Jackie said seriously as she looked at her friend's mirror image as if it was the real thing.

"Sorry," Donna said sheepishly.

"Oh Jackie! You look gorgeous!" Kitty gushed as she entered the room all dressed up.

"Thanks Mrs. Foreman," Jackie said smiling as she turned around.

"Well, come on, you two. The service is about to start," Kitty said, ushering the two younger girls out of the room and into the small hallway in the back of the church where they would wait until it was their turn to go.

They talked in hushed tones until the men who were escorting them arrived and the music started. First Donna and Chris's four-year-old daughter, Emma went as the flower girl and made her way to the front of the church throwing flower petals around just like she was told, smiling to whole time at the two men at the end of the row, the priest and the groom. Then Kitty went on the arm of Red following about five steps behind the little girl they considered their first grandchild. Next, Donna went with her husband Chris. After them, Brooke went with Fez, the best man.

Jackie was breathing methodically to try and calm her nerves.

"Don't worry. You're gonna do great," the man on her am who would be walking her down the aisle assured her.

"Thanks Michael," Jackie said smiling up at her him. Jackie's father was still in jail and so she had been left with no one to walk her down the aisle. Then Donna came up with the idea for Kelso to do it. It just seemed right, having her first love give her away to the man she was going to marry. The two old friends shared a smile and then began their walk to the groom.

When Jackie saw her future husband at the front of the church, waiting for her, smiling at her, her grin got ten times bigger and her whole face lit up.

Finally, Jackie was at the end of her walk down the aisle. She and Kelso exchanged kisses on the cheek, him whispering some last minute reassuring words to her, and then her hand was being held by the love of her life and the priest was in front of them smiling, ready to begin.

When Jackie was a little girl, she had always imagined her perfect wedding. Part of that perfect wedding was listening intently to everything the priest was saying, but as she stood their, holding hands with the man she fell in love with, the kind of love that towered over all of the other love she had ever felt, she couldn't hear a word that man was saying. She was too busy getting lost in the smile of her soon-to-be husband

It was three words that took her out of her trance.

"Do you, Jackie…"

When the priest was done, she said, "I do" without hesitation and smiled when the man across from her did the same.

"I now pronounce you man and wife…" Jackie's smile was so big her face nearly split in two.

"You may kiss the bride."

Jackie's now husband leaned down and rested his forehead momentarily against hers before capturing her lips in a kiss to end all kisses.

Everyone watching stood up and began cheering for them as they finished their first kiss as a married couple. Jackie looked out at all of her friends and then back at the man next to her.

"I love you, Eric," she said to her husband.

"I love you, too, Jackie," Eric responded.

The two were smiling brightly at each other when out of the corner of her eyes, Jackie noticed someone in the back of the church. She turned to look and her face softened when she saw whom it was. _Steven. _

Two made eye contact and shared a small nod.

Jackie had been unsure about sending him and invitation, so instead, she simply phoned him with Eric holding her hand, telling her it was okay to do so. She wasn't sure if he would come. She also wasn't sure whether or not she wanted him to come. As she saw him there, giving her a small smile, she was glad her did.

She also sighed, realizing she still hadn't forgiven him.

**Note: **I know, I know. Open ending. But really it isn't. The lovebirds got married and that makes you happy, right?

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End file.
